‘We’ve not moved on from Old Firm cup final 45 years ago’

In the aftermath of Celtic’s Scottish Cup victory over Rangers on Sunday, the focus was not on the hosts’ lack of cutting edge or the visitors’ rearguard action but the ugly scenes that followed Tomas Cvancara’s winning penalty.

Supporters of both clubs ran on to the Ibrox pitch and clashed as stewards and police separated the two sets of fans.

Celtic were given the entire Broomloan Road stand for the cup tie – around 7,500 tickets – the first time since 2018 that either Old Firm club had received the kind of away ticket allocation synonymous with the fixture.

There were also confrontations outside the ground and a number of arrests were made by Police Scotland, who described the post-match scenes as “despicable” and “shameful”.

After a goalless 120 minutes, Rangers missed two penalties in the shootout before Cvancara dispatched his and sealed Celtic’s place in the semi-finals.

Supporters rushed on to the pitch from the Broomloan Road stand as stewards attempted to return them to their seats.

In response, home fans also made their way on and one Rangers fan was taken away by police after appearing to confront a member of Celtic’s backroom staff.

Players were hurried down the tunnel as more and more home supporters rushed to confront the Celtic fans, with police and stewards forming a barricade in front of the Broomloan to separate them.

Police Scotland Chief Superintendent Kate Stephen condemned the incident and the danger her officers were put in.

“A number of arrests have already been made and Police Scotland will now work with both clubs and the Scottish Football Association to carry out a robust investigation following the scenes on the pitch at the conclusion of the match,” she said.

“Officers and stewards were faced with extreme hostility and violence over a sustained period, with many individuals having armed themselves with items clearly intended to cause harm.

“Officers and members of the public have been injured in this despicable display and I want to express my thanks to all officers and staff deployed.”

Stuart Murphy, the chief executive of the Scottish Football Fans Association, described the situation as a “debacle” and says it is not fair on the majority of match-going fans.

“I’m angry this morning,” he told BBC Radio Scotland on Monday morning.

“Actually, I’m angry on behalf of the majority of all decent fans, who will all feel tarnished and stained by that debacle yesterday, which is the only way to describe it.

Speaking to the media after the game, both managers were reluctant to comment on the behaviour of supporters.

“As we were making our way back, I think there was some sort of fracas; somebody tried to get on the field,” Celtic interim boss Martin O’Neill said of the fan who wrestled with a member of his staff.

“And, as you say, maybe it does taint proceedings, but I think there’s an element of self-protection in that one. So, if that’s the case, please, I’m making judgments here on things that I only half saw.

“The security men, in fairness to them, were wanting to get people off. But there is a natural euphoria about winning a game and about fans joining in. If this has gone too far, that would be disappointing.”

Rangers head coach Danny Rohl insisted he did not see the trouble.

“I was not on the pitch in this moment. I didn’t see it until now,” the German said.

“Nobody likes to see this. It was a great atmosphere in 120 minutes. All the other things should not be in the stadium or around football.”

Speaking on Monday, Scotland’s first minister, John Swinney, said the violence has no place in football, calling it “completely unacceptable”.

“The violence after the Old Firm game yesterday at Ibrox was completely and utterly unacceptable – there is no justification for it whatsoever,” he said.

“There was severe danger applied to fans and to police officers and to stewards. It was completely unacceptable in every respect.

“What I want to make clear is the police have my full support in pursuing everyone involved in this incident, also that we will work constructively with the clubs – who must be horrified by the scenes that they witnessed – as well to address the situation, to work with the Scottish Football Association, to make sure that, collaboratively and collectively, we do all that we can to make sure that these types of incidents have no place in Scottish football.”

Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton also criticised the “ugly” scenes.

“When a fan comes on to the pitch, they know they shouldn’t be doing that,” he said on BBC Radio 5 Live.

“We understand the emotional side of the game – Celtic have beaten their biggest rivals at Ibrox.

“It was really ugly. It’s shameful for the game up there. It’s sad because the full allocation is what you want.

Neither club has issued a statement regarding the pitch invasion, but the SFA condemned supporters entering the field of play and announced an investigation would be launched.

That investigation could lead to sanctions, while BBC Scotland also expects an update from Police Scotland later on Monday.

The other question surrounds what will happen to away ticket allocations at both Ibrox and Parkhead for future derby matches.

As mentioned, this was the first time since 2018 that a full away allocation had been granted to either side after consultation between both clubs and the police.

SFA rules state away clubs should be entitled to a 20% supporter allocation in the Scottish Cup.

Away supporter allocations had been limited to around 800 tickets, with that number rising to 2,500 around a year ago, following a period of no away fans at the fixture.

It is believed Rangers reached the decision after assurances Celtic would reciprocate for any upcoming cup matches at Celtic Park.